Glossybox The Rose Gold Edit December review

The December Rose Gold Edit Glossybox merely reaffirmed my desire to cancel my subscription. December's box included a Kiko Extra Sculpt Mascara £8.90 (surprise surprise, which I won't be reviewing) a So Susan Statement Skin Highlighter Pencil  an (which a similar one featured in the autumn box), a bright red lipstick laquer which is far too bright realistically, a Starskin Bio-Cellulose Second Skin Mask and a 3-in-1 cleanser by Philosophy. So Susan and Philosophy have already featured in a Glossybox fairly recently so it was again disappointing to receive these.

I wasn't really sure what the être belle caviar eye roll on was for as it doesn't explicitly specify on the accompanying leaflet. Until I received the être belle caviar roll on in the December Glossybox I had never heard of the brand before. After a quick Google I found out the être belle caviar eye roll on retails at around €20 (given that it's French I couldn't seem to find a price in GBP). I've used eye roll ons' before but I wasn't sure if this one would be different to others that I've tried. I liked the être belle caviar eye roll on although it's unforgivably cold on the skin due to the metal ball inside the être belle caviar eye roll on. I found it takes a little while to dry so it's best to ensure that it's completely dry on the skin before applying under eye make up. The skin seemed brighter under the eyes and less tired looking but I think it's a product that I need to persevere with rather than use it as a one time use product. It's definitely staying in my make up bag so I can continuously use it.   

I was really unsure about trying out the So Susan Statement Skin Highlighter Pencil and my reluctance is the sole reason that it's taken me months to post this review. I didn't jump on the highlighting and contouring trend like everyone else so I was really quite sceptical about using a highlighter pencil. I finally bit the bullet recently and tried out the So Susan Statement Skin Highlighter Pencil on top of my foundation. I wasn't sure how to use the highlighter pencil by So Susan and it was a case of trial and error on my part. The unusual angled crayon glides onto the skin and leaves a golden shimmer on the skin. I applied it to the corner of my eyes and blended it into the skin as directed on the leaflet. Admittedly, I noticed a difference to my eyes and found that it did pop my eyes and make them look brighter. You're supposed to apply the crayon to the cupid's brow, the corners of the eyes and along the nose and it helps to brighten the skin. I was really unsure about the So Susan Statement Skin Highlighter Pencil but this is a definite new favourite product of mine. Retailing at £15 for a small crayon it is pricey but there was immediate results with this highlighting pencil so it may even be a re-purchase from me.  

I really liked the  3-in-1 cleanser by Philosophy and use it daily in the shower. On the leaflet provided it states that the cleanser should be used to take off make up, presumably at the end of the night. I prefer to use make up wipes to properly remove make up so instead I opted to use the  3-in-1 cleanser by Philosophy at the beginning of my day. The clean lemony scent is really refreshing on the skin so it's perfect for slapping on the face when you first wake up. A little really goes a long way with the  3-in-1 cleanser by Philosophy as it lathers up on the face. The  3-in-1 cleanser by Philosophy seemed a little greasy on the skin because I had applied too much initially. I wet my face first and then applied the  3-in-1 cleanser by Philosophy leaving it for about a minute. I washed it off and then patted my face dry once it was clean. My skin felt really clean and refreshed although I would advice not using it on broken or inflamed skin and it tingled slightly across my nose when I first used this. The small sample size bottle isn't nearly enough though as I pretty much finished the  3-in-1 cleanser by Philosophy with just a few applications. Priced at £8.50 for 90ml this is a definite repurchase for me. 

 

I really don't know what to make of the essence liquid lipstick in 04 show off! The image shown really doesn't do it justice how bright the colour is in the tube but it is quite a surprising little lipstick. Essence liquid lipstick in 04 show off! is more of a lipgloss than a lipstick as it leaves a wet shine to the lips. The essence liquid lipstick in 04 show off! doesn't seem to dry into the lips which means it doesn't dry the lips out either. I was really sceptical about the essence liquid lipstick in 04 show off! when I first used it as it looked really watery on the lips. At first the colour was a watery pinky red which looked a bit like I'd melted a crayon and stuck that on my lips. After a while though the colour changes and gets progressively more pink throughout the day. I really liked the end colour of this and it has salvaged the essence liquid lipstick somewhat as I was prepared to write it off when I first applied it. I thought I’d outgrown lipglosses but I actually love the colour of 04 show off! and it compliments my skin tone well. The consistency is a bit strange at first but it left my lips feeling silky and smooth. Priced at just £2.50 it’s an absolute bargain lippy. Unfortunately the essence liquid lipstick in 04 show off! doesn't seem to last very long and it keeps changing colour and eventually became quite a dark pink rather than a pinky red.

I'm always dubious about trying face masks that I've received in subscription boxes. I know the usual brands that I buy so when it comes to face masks I'm reluctant to try them in case I have a reaction. Unfortunately this is true for the Starskin Bio-Cellulose Second Skin Mask. It was an added bonus in December's box as a 'festive treat.' Honestly though I wish they hadn't of bothered. The Starskin Bio-Cellulose Second Skin Mask is quite a strange looking product and not at all what I had expected it to be. Inside the packaging it feels as if it would be a normal liquid face mask but when I opened it the packaging was dripping wet. I advise opening and applying this over a sink as it gets really messy very quickly. The mask and the inside of the packaging were soaking wet and quite slimy to the touch. Although there is a picture on the front of the Starskin Bio-Cellulose Second Skin Mask which shows the mask I did not for one second think it would be an actual mask, I looked ridiculous when I put it on. The mask of course is a standard size but for my tiny face the Starskin Bio-Cellulose Second Skin Mask looked absolutely massive on me. The chin part of the mask did not reach my skin and I feel the Starskin Bio-Cellulose Second Skin Mask would have been more effective had I lain flat for 20 minutes. The Starskin Bio-Cellulose Second Skin Mask is so large that I could feel it sliding down my face so I had to keep fairly still for this short period of time.

When I applied the Starskin Bio-Cellulose Second Skin Mask it really was quite unpleasant to the touch and freezing cold on the skin. It took a lot of determination to pat down that horrible, slimy, cold mask onto my face which I did out of sheer curiosity for the product. It was unfortunately straight away that my reaction started as I found the Starskin Bio-Cellulose Second Skin Mask to be really uncomfortable across my cheeks and a little itchy at first. Furthermore, as the Starskin Bio-Cellulose Second Skin Mask was too big for my face, the mask blocked my eyesight. This in turn transferred the serum (of which the mask is covered in) to my eyelashes which of course put it into my eyes. Lastly, the slipping mask then dripped onto my lips which I couldn't help but taste after 20 minutes and it tastes awful.

I persevered with the Starskin Bio-Cellulose Second Skin Mask however and found that the mask made the skin around my eyes and my eyebrow hair sting like crazy. Knowing what it felt like to the touch I was less than reluctant to peel the mask of so instead bent forward with my head overhanging the bin and let the mask fall off so there was no need to touch it. Hindsight is a wonderful thing as they say and I wish I had taken the  Starskin Bio-Cellulose Second Skin Mask off the second I felt the itching. Needless to say I persevered still and proceeded to pat the serum into the face as the instructions suggested. When the mask came off there was still a lot of excess serum on the skin and even more left in the packaging which can be applied to the neck area. The reminder of the serum ended up in the bin although I did attempt to pat the serum into my face. In doing so I made the reaction worse and my whole face felt itchy so I washed the serum off with cold water. After 10 minutes from taking the mask off parts of my face began to burn and became really itchy. In an attempt to counteract this I applied a sample moisturiser of L'Occitane Perfection in the hope of cooling my face but this didn't seem to help much. Although my skin calmed down a lot over the night it still stung around my eyes. I notice that the reaction was mainly around the thinnest areas of my face (i.e. under my eyes) or areas where I had spotty or inflamed skin. As a word of warning do NOT use this product on broken skin. My cheeks (which were relatively inflamed and angry before I began) were particularly tight whereas the areas with spots felt sore. I definitely would not recommend this product and quite frankly I'd like it I never received another hair mask or face mask again from Glossybox given that these are two products that I've had allergic reactions to.

I don't seem to have much luck with face masks or skincare products but all in all I liked most of the products in December's Glossybox. Three products are a definite winner in my book. Let me know what you thought of December's Glossybox in the comments below xx.